Take a look at this snap of the Teen section at the good ol' B&N and tell me if you see what I see.

I see a metric ton of red, black, and purple. A good assortment of chillingly beautiful, yet otherworldly faces. And confirmation that vampires aren't just a thing in teen fiction anymore; they're The Thing.

This, my friends, is the power of marketing, and of storytelling. Between them, Stephanie Meyer and her publisher have moved an entire generation. I predict we'll be seeing ripples of this effect in adult fiction for years to come.

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i hate it that vampires are now "the thing" because it used to, or atleast seemed to, be just me who liked them and now i walk down the halls at school and i feel awkard since i'm not the only one who's in love with vampires anymore...

It's hard to be well versed in the sciences and suspend disbelief when reading about vampires (or watching them in cinema). But I think it's all about these creatures being some kind of literary device for enhancing a storytellers's ability to further explore the human condition.

I would SO FINE with this, encourage it wholeheartedly even, if only they were real vampires. But they're not, they're walk around in the daytime, sparkle in the sunlight, gnaw on some venison vampires. The romance section is overcrowded with them too.

THEY'RE NOCTURNAL! THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO KILL PEOPLE!

Otherwise, what's the disadvantage? Why wouldn't we all be vampires and raise people like cattle like they did in Daylighters? Why wouldn't Bella be eager to become a vampire? And why won't Edward just let her? It's like a dream come true. You do whatever you want all the time and you get the brooding, cultured gentlemen too!

They are NOT commenting on the human condition anymore. Vampire stories USED to be about that. Now they're just about hooking up with the bad boy.

/end rant

Sorry I tend to get worked up. I just hope when we find the ripples in adult fantasy, as you say, that these girls have grown up a bit and are ready for some blood. ;)